System and method for bending strip material to create cutting dies

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a bending machine for bending material such as steel to form cutting dies for products such as cloth, leather or the like. Coiled material is fed through a material washer, straightener and printer by a material feeder to a bending head. If required the material is forwarded through the bending head to a heating unit and retracted to the bending unit to aid in bending. A nicking tool is also provided ahead of the bending tool to nick the material. The nicks enable the cutting die to cut notches in the product being cut. A support surface at the output end of the machine supports the material as it is bent into the required form.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a system and method forbending strip material with a sharp cutting edge, such as steel, tocreate cutting dies.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When cutting fabric or other materials to meet a specific shape,manufacturers make use of a cutting die. A cutting die is typically aband of steel bent into a desired shape and having a sharpened edge. Acutting die may be then mounted to a base to keep it in place whilebeing used within a press to cut materials. In other uses, such as thecutting of leather the die is not mounted to a base, but attacheddirectly to a cutting device or placed directly on the material to becut.

Traditionally, a cutting die was bent by hand to conform to the specificshape required. As with classic workmanship, this provided an excellentproduct. Due to increased labour costs such a method is often no longereconomically viable. Thus there has emerged a need to mechanicallyproduce a cutting die in an accurate and cost efficient manner.

The present invention addresses this need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a bending machine for producingcutting dies. The bending machine may comprise:

-   -   a) a feeder for accepting the material from the supply device;    -   b) a bending tool accepting the material from said feeder for        bending, and    -   c) a support surface for supporting the material upon output        from the bending tool.

The bending machine further comprises a supply device having a turntablefor supporting a coil of material.

The bending machine further comprises a material cleaner, the materialcleaner comprising one or more spray nozzles and one or more wipers.

The bending machine further comprises a straightener, for the purpose ofstraightening the material prior to the material entering the bendingtool.

The bending machine further comprises a heating unit for heating thematerial prior to bending or nicking said material.

The bending machine further comprises a nicking unit, to create nicks inthe material, the nicking unit utilizing a male die and a female die.

The bending machine further comprises a printing unit, the printing unitlocated before the bending tool to print information on the material.

The present invention is also directed to a method of creating a cuttingdie. The method may comprise the steps of:

-   -   a) extracting material from a source of material;    -   b) feeding the material to a bending tool;    -   c) bending the material;    -   d) supporting the material after bending;    -   e) repeating steps a) through d) until the said cutting die is        complete; and    -   f) detaching said cutting die from said source of material,        after the completion of step e).

The method of creating a cutting die further comprising the step ofcleaning the material after the material has been extracted from thesource of material and prior to feeding the material.

The method of creating a cutting die further comprising the step ofstraightening the material once the material has been extracted from thesource of material but before bending the material.

The method of creating a cutting die further comprising the step ofheating the material prior to bending the material.

The method of creating a cutting die further comprising the step ofnicking the material.

The method of creating a cutting die further comprising the step ofprinting information on the material prior to the material being bent bythe bending tool.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show moreclearly how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made,by way of example, to the accompanying drawings which aid inunderstanding an embodiment of the present invention and in which:

FIG. 1 a is an isometric view of cutting die;

FIG. 1 b is an isometric view of a cutting die with nicks;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the bending machine comprising thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a portion of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a portion of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the bending tool;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the output end of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the material cleaner;

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the material cleaner;

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of material straightener with the lid open;

FIG. 10 is a bottom view of the material straightener with the lidclosed;

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of the material straightener with the lidopen;

FIG. 12 is an isometric view of the material straightener with the lidclosed;

FIG. 13 is side view of a portion of the heating unit;

FIGS. 14 a, 14 c and 14 b are a schematic diagram of the computercontrol system; and

FIGS. 15 a and 15 b are flowcharts of the bending process.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The production of an accurate cutting die is far from simple. To aid thereader in understanding the complexity of a cutting die, we refer now toFIG. 1 a. FIG. 1 a is an isometric view of cutting die shown generallyas 10. Cutting die 10 is constructed from a piece for material 12 bentat various angles. Material 12 has a cutting edge 14. Cutting edge 14may be one of many different shapes depending upon the product to be cutby the die 10. Material 12 may have many different characteristics, onehaving a cutting edge 14 that is heat treated, sharpened and serrated.Die 10 may be reinforced by braces 16 to ensure that die 10 does notdeform during use. If used, braces 16 would typically be welded tomaterial 12. Braces 16 may also optionally include one or more mountingholes 18 to allow die 10 to be attached to a cutting board or press (notshown).

Referring now to FIG. 1 b an isometric view of a cutting die with nicksis shown generally as 20. Cutting die 20 is of the same construction ascutting die 10 but with the addition of one or more nicks 22. Nicks 22are utilized to create notches in the cut out product to allow pieces ofthe product to be efficiently sewn together. For example, in the case ofautomobile upholstery, the cut out product may require many folds toassume an irregular shape, notches created by nicks 22 aid in thefolding and in connecting pieces of cut out product. Notches also aid inaligning pieces of cut out product so that they may be sewn togetheraccurately. Nicks 22 may take on a variety of shapes and sizes,including running the full vertical height of material 12.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an isometric view of a bending machine of thepresent invention is shown generally as 100. Bending machine 100 acceptsa roll of material such as steel or another suitable material from coilturntable 102 which is fed by material feeder 104 to bending tool 106 tocreate a cutting die. Coil turntable 102 is capable of both feedingmaterial downstream and reversing direction to receive material. As thematerial is removed from coil turntable 102 it undergoes a cleaning bymaterial cleaner 108, the details of which are provided with thedescriptions of FIGS. 7 and 8. After passing through material cleaner108 the material is straightened by material straightener 110, thedetails of which are provided with the description of FIGS. 9, 10, 11and 12.

The material is guided to bending tool 106 along material guide 112,which serves as a base for material feeder 104. Bending tool 106 iscapable of bending the material in a series of angles as determined by acomputer control system. The details of the computer control system areprovided with the description of FIG. 14. In some cases it may benecessary to heat the material prior to bending. Depending upon thecharacteristics of the material being bent the computer control systemdetermines if heating is required to aid in bending. Experimentation onsteel having a height on the order of 19 mm to 50 mm and having athickness on the order of 2 mm to 3 mm has indicated that angles on theorder of 45 degrees are more precisely bent if the region to be bent isheated. Further when the cutting edge of the material to be bent isserrated, the application of heat prior to bending ensures that theserrated edge does not fracture and remains intact. The computer controlsystem determines when material should be heated before bending; thisdepends upon the bending angle and the characteristics of the material.When the material is to be bent, it is advanced to heating unit 114 bymaterial feeder 104 where it is heated and then returned to bending tool106 for bending. In some cases the material will need to be “nicked”. Insuch situations the material is heated by heating unit 114 in the regionof the nick, and nicking tool 116 is invoked to provide a nick in therequired position. Once nicked material 12 is retracted toward bendingtool 106 for the next bend to be made. Nicking is utilized to provide anotch in the cut out product so that the cut out product may beefficiently sewn into a finished product. For example, in the case ofautomobile upholstery, the cut out product may require many folds toassume an irregular shape, the notches aid in the folding and inconnecting pieces of cut out products. Notches also aid in aligningpieces of cut out product so that they may be sewn together accurately.

As the material is bent it will assume a variety of angles and thus theneed for support surface 118. Support surface 118 provides a large andstable surface for the material as it exits from bending tool 106. Ascan be appreciated the support surface 118 may take on a variety offorms. In the current embodiment support surface 118 takes the form of alarge work table. The table provides an efficient support surface forthe output of bending machine 100 during the creation of a cutting die.

Bending machine 100 is capable of bending a wide variety of materialsand in typical use bends steel having a height on the order of 19 mm to50 mm and having a thickness on the order of 2 mm to 3 mm. In order tobend such material, bending tool 106 is powered by a motor havingsufficient torque to bend the material. It is not the intent of theinventors to limit the present invention to the specific type of bendinghead shown, any form of bending head capable of meeting the requirementsof the bending machine may be utilized.

Many of the components of bending machine 100 are powered through theuse of pneumatic cylinders and valves. One such example of the use ofpneumatic power is pressure booster 120. Pressure booster 120 acceptsair as input and utilizes an oil powered cylinder to drive nicking tool116.

Bending machine 100 has material guards 122 to prevent any interferencewith the material and to shield the operator from injury. Bendingmachine 100 is supported by a machine frame 124. Within frame 124 thereis a control cabinet 126 which houses the computer control system formachine 100 (See FIG. 14).

Bending machine 100 is topped with a beacon light 128. Beacon lightindicates the operational status of bending machine 100. The colours ofbeacon light 128 may be implementation defined to describe the status ofmachine 100, such as working, not working, or error. Bending machine 100also has mounted to it two emergency stop buttons (not shown). Whenactivated by the operator all power to bending machine 100 is shut down.In such a situation beacon light 128 will indicate a status of notworking.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a top view of a portion of the presentinvention is shown generally as 150. Material 12 is fed from materialcoil 154 (supported by coil turntable 102), by material feeder 104.Material feeder 104 is controlled by the computer control system andconsists of an air powered clamp to grip material 12. Although thepresent invention works upon material in the form of a coil, it mayeasily be adapted to deal with straight stock. Material feeder 104 iscapable of moving in two directions, either extracting material fromcoil 154 toward bending head 106 or returning material to coil 154 asrequired. Material 12 is cleaned by material cleaner 108, the details ofwhich are provided with the descriptions of FIGS. 7 and 8. Material 12is next straightened by material straightener 110, the details of whichare provided with the description of FIGS. 9, 10, 11 and 12. Materialfeeder 104 is driven linearly by material feeder screw 158 along guide160. Guide 160 ensures that material feeder 104 travels linearly withminimal deviation. Forward clamping device 162 is engaged to clampmaterial 12 when material feeder 104 is released from material 12 toreturn to a home position. When material feeder 104 returns to a homeposition to clamp material 12 forward clamping device 162 ensures thatmaterial 12 remains in position. Printing unit 164 serves to printinformation regarding the die being manufactured; such information wouldtypically include the logo of the user a die number and the date ofmanufacture. Printing unit 164 prints information in a continual spacedpattern as determined by the computer control system. Material feeder104 and its associated components are mounted to machine plate 156,which serves as the working surface for machine 100. If no heating ornicking of material 12 is required, material 12 is bent to a desiredangle by bending tool 106. If nicking or heating is required, material12 is advanced through bending tool 106 to heating unit 114 and/ornicking tool 116 and then retracted to bending tool 106 to be bent.Nicking tool 116 comprises two main components, male die 222,and femaledie 224.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a side view of a portion of the presentinvention is shown generally as 180. The feeding of material 12 is doneby material feeder 104 under the control of material feeder drive 182.Material feeder drive 182 utilizes material feeder screw 158 to drivematerial feeder 104. Material feeder drive 182 operates in both forwardand reverse directions as required by the computer control system.Bending tool 106 comprises three components, rotary portion 184,stationary portion 186, and bending tool drive 188. Many configurationsof bending tools may be utilized. It is not the intent of the inventorsto restrict the present invention to the use of the specific bendingtool shown.

Nicking tool 116 may be lowered as required to create a nick in material12. When not in use nicking tool 116 is retracted to be above material12. Heating unit 114 utilizes a heat concentrator 190 to heat material12 to aid in bending and nicking. In the current embodiment heating unit114 and nicking tool 116 are arranged so that once material 12 is in aposition to be nicked, heating unit 114 is raised to heat the materialprior to nicking and nicking tool 116 descends to provide a nick. Such aconfiguration ensures that material 12 need not be moved while beingheated and nicked. This configuration also ensures that heating unit 114does not interfere with the bending of material 12.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a top view of the bending tool is showngenerally as 200. Bending tool 106 comprises rotary portion 184 andstationary portion 186. Material 12 is fed through stationary portion186 and rotary portion 184 driven by bending tool drive 188 rotates inthe required direction to bend material 12. The dashed lines shown asfeature 12 a indicate how material 12 may be bent, by rotating rotaryportion 184 in a counter-clockwise direction. Bending tool 106 may bendmaterial 12 through a wide range of degrees in either a clockwise or acounter-clockwise direction. A user may set the limit of bending.Typically the bending range is from zero to 100 degrees. As material 12may spring back after being bent, the user may program the computercontrol system (see FIG. 14) to adjust for spring back for a particularmaterial at a particular angle. Bends in the form of arcs may beachieved through a progressive series of small bends. When the bendingof material 12 is complete, rotary portion 184 is rotated in alternatedirections until material 12 breaks, thus ending the process of creatinga die. The inventors have considered adding a cutting portion to thepresent invention to avoid the breaking step. However, as the material12 may require heating and/or nicking, such a device would conflict withthe heating and nicking units and provide little or no advantage overthe existing configuration. Although bending tool 106 serves as a cutterfor the material, in the case of relatively thin material, a separatecutter may be required, as it may be too flexible to be broken by rotaryportion 184.

Referring now to FIG. 6 an end view of the output end of the presentinvention is shown generally as 220. Nicking tool 116 comprises a maledie 222 and a female die 224. When nicking tool 116 is lowered tomaterial 12, male die 222 is activated to move toward female die 224,thus creating a nick in material 12. In the current embodiment femaledie 224 is circular and may be rotated to present one of a plurality ofnicking forms to male die 222. Any number of male or female dies may beinterchanged to create a specific type of notch. Should material 12require heating, heating unit 114 is raised so that heat concentrator190 is adjacent to material 12 and lowered once heating is completed.This configuration ensures that heating unit 114 does not interfere withthe bending of material 12.

Referring now to FIG. 7 a top view of the material cleaner 108 is showngenerally as 240. In this view, material 12 passes through materialcleaner 108 from left to right. Material 12 passes first though a firstseal 242. In the current embodiment seal 242 is made of a material suchas neoprene or the like. Seal 242 provides a seal to ensure thatcleaning fluid used within material cleaner 108 is remains withincleaner 108. Material 12 is then subjected to a cleaning solution,applied by one or more spray nozzles 244. A cleaning solution that hasbeen found to be effective is Crystal Simple Green, made by SunshineMakers, Inc. of Huntington Harbor, Calif. The used cleaning solutionexits material cleaner 108 through drain 246. The used cleaning solutionis then skimmed to remove the surface oil and recycled through spraynozzles 244. Material 12 next passes through second seal 248; seal 248is of the same construction as first seal 242. Second seal 248 aids inremoving any loose particles from material 12 as well as any remainingcleaning solution which are both returned to drain 246. Material 12 thenpasses through a pair of threshold wipers 250, which in the currentembodiment take the form of a typical rubber door seal with a pluralityof fingers. Threshold wipers 250 return any remaining cleaning liquid todrain 146. Finally before exiting material cleaner 108, material 12 iscleaned by felt wiper 252. Felt wiper 252 is may be made of an absorbentmaterial such as felt and serves to remove any remaining moisture andsurface debris from material 12. Wipers 242, 248, 250 and 252 are easilyreplaced by opening the top of material cleaner 108.

One advantage in utilizing material cleaner 108 is that if material 12is to be heated by heating unit 114, cleaned material will result infewer emissions due to the burning of any lubricants or other substanceson the surface of material 12. This reduces the requirements for anyexhaust system that may be needed to exhaust fumes from the heatingprocess. A second advantage is that once the material has been cleanedof oil and grease it retains print information printed by printing unit164.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the material cleaner 108, shown generallyas 260. FIG. 8 shows cleaner 108 with the top facing the viewer.Material 12 enters cleaner 108 through entrance port 262 and exitsthrough exit port 264. Features described earlier with reference to FIG.7 include spray nozzle 244 and threshold wiper 250. Material cleaner 108is mounted to bending machine 100 via mounting bracket 266. Mountingbracket 266 has two pivot points, first pivot point 268 and second pivotpoint 270. Pivot points 268 and 270 allow material cleaner 108 to swivelabout material 12. As material 12 exits from coil 154 it retains somecurvature as it enters material cleaner 108. When material 12 is engagedby material straightener 110 it is locked in a rigid position. Pivotpoints 268 and 270 allow material cleaner 108 to adjust to the curvatureof material 12 while permitting a straight feed into materialstraightener 110. Although in the current embodiment material cleaner108 is situated before material straightener 110, it may also besituated after material straightener 110.

Referring now to FIG. 9 a bottom view of material straightener 110 withthe lid open is shown generally as 300. In this view, material 12 wouldenter at the left of the material straightener 110 and exit on theright. Material straightener 110 comprises a body 302, which isconnected to a lid 304 by a hinge 306. Hinge 306 permits lid 304 to beopened allowing access to the interior of material straightener 110. Lid304 is opened and closed by the use of swing handle 308. In the closedposition, swing handle 308 abuts a pair of adjustable stops 310 to keepcover 304 firmly in place. Adjustable stops 310 may be moved to allowfor wear and to ensure a tight contact with swing handle 308. Asmaterial 12 passes through material straightener 110 it is straightenedby a series of rollers, namely front rollers 312 and rear rollers 314.Rear rollers 312 contact the rear of material 12 and front rollerscontact the front. Each of rollers 312 and 314 comprise a shaft 316 anda plurality of discs 318. In the current embodiment each roller 312 and314 comprises five discs. Rear rollers 314 are mounted in an insert 320.Each Insert 320 is removable from material straightener 110 to aid inmaintenance. Further, each insert 320 may be adjusted through the use oftightening bolt 322 and tightening nut 324 to increase or decrease thedistance between front and rear rollers. This allows the operator toapply more or less pressure to the straightening of the material withina specific portion of material straightener 110, to allow for any bendsin the material 12 as it is fed from coil turntable 102. Materialstraightener 110 is mounted to bending machine 100 by-mounting bracket326.

Referring now to FIG. 10 a bottom view of material straightener 110 withthe lid closed is shown generally as 350. In the closed position, swinghandle 308 is abutted directly against a pair of adjustable stops 310,thus keeping lid 304 firmly closed.

Referring now to FIG. 11 an isometric view of the material straightener110 with the lid open is shown generally as 400. An insert 320 is shownremoved from the body of material straightener 110. Proximity switchport 402 allows for the installation of a proximity switch in materialstraightener 110. A proximity switch indicates to the computer controlsystem if material 12 is within material straightener 110. As thecomputer control system is aware of how much material is required tomake a die, the information from the proximity switch may be utilized tocancel the current bend or alert the operator to load more material.Although not shown, proximity switches may be installed in any number ofpositions in bending machine 100 to monitor the existence of material12.

Referring now to FIG. 12 an isometric view of the material straightener110 with the lid closed is shown generally as 450. FIG. 12 illustrateshow swing handle 308 abuts adjustable stops 310 to firmly close lid 304.

Referring now to FIG. 13 a side view of a portion of heating unit 114 isshown generally as 480. Material 12 is guided toward heat concentrator190 by shoe guide 482. Shoe guide 482 ensures that any material that isslightly less than straight is pressed toward heat concentrator 190 toachieve consistent heating.

Material 12 is shown as not being adjacent to the complete heatingsurface of heat concentrator 190. This is the position for heatingmaterial 12 prior to creating a nick that does not extend for the fullheight of material 12. In the case of bending, heat concentrator 190would be in a lower position to be completely adjacent to material 12.Should a nick be required for the entire height of material 12, heatingwould be applied in the same position as that for a bend. Heatconcentrator 190 may be moved to any portion of the vertical side ofmaterial 12 by the computer control system.

In the current embodiment heat concentrator 190 is manufactured of aceramic fused coating such as aluminium oxide or the equivalent. Heatconcentrator 190 is powered by an electrical source having a frequencyrange of 20 to 100 kHz and power up to 10 kW. This permits the materialto be heated to temperatures in excess of 1300 degrees Fahrenheit.Electricity is carried to heat concentrator 190 by charge conductorpipes 484. Charge conductor pipes 484 comprise sections of copper pipe,soldered together. Due to the heat generated by heat concentrator 190, acoolant is circulated through the interior of charge conductor pipes 484by heating unit 1 14, to prevent the solder from melting.

As heating unit 114 is electrically powered, it can be easily adjustedby the computer control system (see FIG. 14) to heat for a precise timeat a precise wattage. This allows for the adjustment of the amount ofheat required for various types of material as well as applyingdiffering amounts of heat to the same material. For example, a sharpenededge may be hardened and require more heat to reduce or eliminatefractures when being nicked. The body of the same material may not behardened and require less heat to be bent. The inventors have found thatthis heating configuration works quite well in heating materials to bebent, in particular steel. Further, the use of a single heatconcentrator 190 rather than a heater that brackets material 12 reducesany interference between heating unit 114 and material 12 as it isforwarded from bending tool 106. It is not the intent of the inventorsto restrict the use of a heater in the present invention to the preciseconfiguration of the current embodiment as many heater configurationsmay be utilized.

Referring now to FIGS. 14 a, 14 b and 14 c, a schematic diagram of thecomputer control system of the present invention is shown generally as500. System 500 makes use of a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) 502.PLC 502 comprises a power supply 504, a CPU 506, a servo controller 508,a communications card 510, an input controller 512 and an outputcontroller 514. Communications card 510 connects PLC 502 to a Local AreaNetwork (LAN) 516 through the use of a communications hub 518. In thecurrent embodiment LAN 516 makes use of the Ethernet protocol but anynumber of other protocols may be utilized. Also connected to LAN 516 viahub 518 is a control PC 520. Control PC 520 is used to direct theactions of PLC 502. PC 520 maintains a database of cutting die patterns.In use, an operator selects a cutting die pattern using PC 520 and thenumber of dies to be manufactured for that pattern. All requiredinformation for the bending machine 100 to create the dies is downloadedto PLC 502. Required information includes the number of dies to be made,the bending and heating characteristics of the material, segmentdistance between bends, the bend points, the degree of each bend, andthe nicking points. This information is downloaded in the form of amodified Data Exchange File (DXF). Based upon the downloadedinformation, PLC 502 then directs bending machine 100 to manufacture therequired number of dies for each pattern. As PC 520 is connected to LAN516 it may receive patterns from or transmit patterns to any otherdevice connected to LAN 516.

Returning to PLC 502, we will now discuss each component in more detail.Power supply 504 provides the power for PLC 502. CPU 506 controls theoverall processing of PLC 502. Servo controller 508 controls bend servo522 and feed servo 524. Bend servo 522 drives bending tool 106 and feedservo 524 controls material feeder 104 (see FIG. 3). As mentionedearlier communications card 510 connects PLC 502 to hub 518 and thus tocontrol PC 520. Input controller 512 controls a plurality of inputs asshown in FIG. 14 b. The inputs under control are labeled as features 526to 540. Features 526 to 536 are proxy switches and are thus groupedtogether in a dashed rectangle within FIG. 14 b. Each input devicedetermines the status of a component of the bending machine. To aid thereader in understanding which components each input device monitors wesuggest the reader refer to FIG. 3. Rear clamp switch 526 detects ifthere is material in material feeder 104. Bending tool switch 528determines if there is material at bending tool 106. Straightener switch530 determines if there is material at straightener 110. Heater switch532 comprises a set of three separate switches which determine theposition of the heating unit 114, specifically if heating unit 114 israised, lowered or in mid-position. Material feed switch 534 comprises aset of two switches, which determine if bend servo 522 or feed servo524, are in the home position. Nicking tool switch 536 comprises a setof two switches, which determine if nicking tool 116 is in the up ordown position. Air pressure switch 538 determines if air pressure issufficient to operate the various components of the bending machine thatare pneumatically powered. Finally, master control stop switch 540detects if the emergency stop button has been pressed by the operator.

Output controller 514 controls a plurality of devices, as shown in FIG.14 c. These devices are indicated by features 542 to 554. Features 542to 550 are pneumatically powered by the use of a cylinder and valve andare thus grouped together in a dashed rectangle. Rear clamp control 542controls the clamp utilized by feeder control 104 to clamp material 12.Front clamp control 544 controls forward feeder clamp 162. Heatercontrol 546 comprises a set of two controls, the first raises heatingunit 114, the second lowers it. Nicker control 548 comprises a set ofthree controls, which raise, lower or close nicker 116. Cleaner control550 comprises a set of two controllers. The first controller operates apump to send a cleaning solution through spray nozzles 244 of materialcleaner 108 (see FIG. 7). The second controller operates a skimmer toremove oil from the surface of the used cleaning solution so that thecleaning solution may be reused. Printer control 552 directs theprinting of printing unit 164. Beacon control 554 controls beacon light128 to indicate the operating status of the bending machine.

Referring now to FIGS. 15 a and 15 b a flowchart of the bending processis shown generally as 600. Beginning at step 602 required informationregarding the die to be constructed is downloaded from control PC 520 toPLC 502. Required information includes the number of dies to be made,the bending and heating characteristics of the material, segmentdistance between bends, the bend points, the degree of each bend, andthe nicking points. At step 604 material 12 is loaded manually by theoperator from material coil 154 until material 12 encounters materialfeeder 104. Next at step 606 material 12 is cleaned by material cleaner108. At step 608 a test is made to determine if material 12 is availableat the entrance to material straightener 110. If not, material coil 154is empty and processing moves to step 610 where a new coil of materialis loaded. From step 610 processing then returns to step 604. If thetest result at step 608 is positive, processing moves to step 612 wherematerial 12 is straightened. Next a test is made at step 614 todetermine if material 12 is at material feeder 104. If the test resultis negative, processing moves to step 616, where a test is made todetermine if material feeder 104 is in a home position. If this testresult is positive, processing moves to step 610 then to step 604. If atstep 616 the test result is negative, processing moves to step 618 wherethe material feeder 104 is returned to a home position. Processing afterstep 618 then returns to the test at step 614. If at step 614 the testresult is positive, material feeder 104 is instructed at step 620 toclamp material 12. Processing then moves to step 622 where a test ismade to determine if material 12 is at bending tool 106. If the resultof this test is negative, processing moves to step 624 where material 12is advanced by material feeder 104. A test is then made at step 626 todetermine if the material feeder 104 has reached a maximum position, ifit has, processing moves to step 628 where the material feeder clamp isopened and processing continues to step 616. If at step 616 it is foundthat the material feeder is not in the maximum position, processingreturns to step 622. After step 622 a test is made at step 630 todetermine if the material feeder 104 is in a position to provide enoughmaterial 12 for the next bend or nick. If the result of this test isnegative, processing moves to step 628 where the material feeder clampis opened, and processing then moves on to step 616 as discussedearlier. If the result of the test at step 630 is positive, controlmoves to step 634 of FIG. 15 b as shown by connector 632.

At step 634 of FIG. 15 b, material 12 is printed with print information.At step 636, material 12 is advanced by the next segment length. Asegment length is the amount of material before the next nick or bend.If the last operation was a nick, the amount of material ahead of thebending tool 106 is taken into account in determining how much materialshould be advanced. If a nick has just be created it is also possiblethat the material may be retracted from the nicking head should the nextbend or nick be relatively close to the nick just created. Processingthen moves to step 638 where a test is made to determine if the cuttingdie has been completed, if it has, processing moves to step 640 wherematerial 12 is broken off at bending tool 106 to complete the die. Atest is then made at step 642 to determine if this is the last die ofthe cutting die pattern. If so, processing ends at step 644.

Returning now to step 638. If at step 638 it is determined that the dieis not complete, processing moves to step 648 where a test is made todetermine if a nick is required. If a nick is required, processing movesto step 650 where material 12 is advanced to nicking tool 116.Processing next moves to step 652 where material 12 is heated by heatingunit 114 prior to nicking. At step 654 material 12 is nicked by nickingtool 116 and then processing moves to step 630 of FIG. 15 a via transfer646. Returning to step 648 if a nick is not required processing moves tostep 656 where a test is made to determine if material 12 must be heatedprior to bending. If no heating is required, processing moves to step664, where material 12 is bent by bending tool 106. If heating isrequired, processing moves to step 658 where material 12 is advanced toheating unit 114. At step 660 material 12 is heated and at step 662 thenow heated material 12 is retracted to bending tool 106. At step 664,heated material 12 is bent, by bending tool 106.

Although the invention has been described with reference to certainspecific embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent tothose skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as outlined in the claims appended hereto.

1. A bending machine for producing cutting dies from material, saidbending machine comprising: a) a feeder for accepting said material; b)a bending tool accepting said material from said feeder for bending, andc) a support surface for supporting said material upon output from saidbending tool.
 2. The machine of claim 1 further comprising a supplydevice having a turntable for supporting a coil of said material.
 3. Themachine of claim 2 wherein said turntable operates in both forward andreverse directions.
 4. The machine of claim 1 wherein said feeder is aclamping device, which when engaged clamps firmly to each side of saidmaterial and when disengaged does not contact said material.
 5. Themachine of claim 4 wherein said feeder is driven along a feeder screwand a guide, to ensure said material passes linearly through saidmachine.
 6. The machine of claim 5 further comprising a forward clampingdevice adjacent said bending tool, said forward clamping device engagingsaid material when said feeder is disengaged.
 7. The machine of claim 1further comprising a material cleaner said material cleaner comprisingone or more spray nozzles and one or more wipers.
 8. The machine ofclaim 7 wherein said material cleaner is connected to said bendingmachine by a bracket having one or more pivot points, said pivot pointspermitting said material cleaner to adjust to bends in said material. 9.The machine of claim 1 further comprising a straightener, for thepurpose of straightening said material prior to said material enteringsaid bending tool.
 10. The machine of claim 9 wherein said supply devicecomprises a turntable for supporting and supplying a coil of saidmaterial.
 11. The machine of claim 9 wherein said straightener comprisesa series of front and rear rollers, said rear rollers each beinginstalled in an insert, the distance between said front and rear rollersbeing adjustable by a tightening bolt applied to an insert.
 12. Themachine of claim 11 wherein said straightener comprises a hinged lid,said lid opening to allow access to said front and rear rollers, saidlid being opened and closed by the use of a swing handle and locked inplace by one or more adjustable stops.
 13. The machine of claim 1further comprising a heating unit for heating said material prior tobending or nicking said material.
 14. The machine of claim 13 whereinsaid heating unit comprises a heat concentrator, said heat concentratorhaving a single head positioned adjacent to said material prior toheating.
 15. The machine of claim 13 wherein said heating unit may beinstructed to heat all or a portion of an edge of said material.
 16. Themachine of claim 14 wherein said heat concentrator heats said materialby induction.
 17. The machine of claim 16 wherein said heating unit isadjustable for both the amount of electricity provided to said heatconcentrator and the duration of heating said material.
 18. The machineof claim 13 wherein said heating unit comprises a heat concentrator anda shoe guide, said shoe guide designed to direct said material to saidheat concentrator.
 19. The machine of claim 18 wherein said heatconcentrator is adjacent to one side of said material when heating saidmaterial.
 20. The machine of claim 1 further comprising a nicking unit,to create nicks in said material, said nicking unit utilizing a male dieand a female die.
 21. The machine of claim 20 wherein said female diehas a plurality of nicking forms, said female die being adjustable tomatch a nicking form with said male die.
 22. The machine of claim 1further comprising a heating unit and a nicking unit wherein saidheating unit and said nicking unit are disposed on intersecting planessuch that said material need not be moved once in position to engageeither or both of said heating unit and said nicking unit.
 23. Themachine of claim 1 further comprising a printing unit, said printingunit located before said bending tool to print information on saidmaterial.
 24. A method of creating a cutting die, said method comprisingthe steps of: (a) extracting material from a source of material; (b)feeding said material to a bending tool; (c) bending said material; (d)supporting said material after bending; (e) repeating steps a) throughd) until said cutting die is complete; and (f) detaching said cuttingdie from said source of material, after the completion of step e). 25.The method of claim 24 further comprising the step of straightening saidmaterial once said material has been extracted from said source ofmaterial but before bending said material.
 26. The method of claim 24further comprising the step of heating said material prior to saidbending.
 27. The method of claim 24 further comprising the step ofadvancing said material past said bending tool to a heating unit andthen returning said material to said bending tool for bending.
 28. Themethod of claim 24 further comprising the step of nicking said material.29. The method of claim 29 further comprising the step of heating saidmaterial prior to nicking.
 30. The method of claim 30 further comprisingthe step of advancing said material past said bending tool to a heatingunit for heating and then nicking said material and retracting saidmaterial toward said bending tool.
 31. The method of claim 24 furthercomprising the step of printing information on said material prior tosaid material being bent by said bending tool.
 32. The method of claim24 further comprising the step of cleaning said material after saidmaterial has been extracted from said source of material and prior tofeeding said material.